community well and she's apparently being discriminated against simply because of the way god made her. >> boy scouts of america, the vote is sometime today, we'll see how that goes. thanks guy, i appreciate you being with us. s "cnn newsroom" with carol costello begins right now. see you back here tomorrow morning. hey, carol. happening new in "the newsroom," scout's honor. >> my attitudes is gays and lesbians should have access. >> today could be decision day for the boy scouts of america. both sides and the battlecry. >> boy scouts have a right to have an organization that says that it wants to build boys who are morally straight. >> ending this ban would uphold the dignity and respect scouting was founded on. also the american sniper shooting and the terrifying 911 call just released. >> my brother just came by here, he told me that he's committed a

murder. >> reporter: for the first time the moments after a navy s.e.a.l. and his friend were shot to death. also, strike two for the second time this week, baseball and performance-enhancing drugs are in the headlines, this time it's milwaukee's ryan braun being investigated. and this. ♪ don't wake me up chris brown and his community service, new questions this morning whether he really served his 180 hours for beating up rihanna. "newsroom" starts now. good morning and welcome to "newsro "newsroom." i'm carol costello. thank you for being with us. neither rain, sleet, snow or hail will stop the post office from delivering your letters but the economy and e-mail will. starting in august the post office will no longer deliver

letters and other first class mail to your home saturdays. you'll still receive packages. this is just the first of many deep cuts coming to the united states postal service. athena jones joins me. good morning. >> the packaging will continue, that's one area seen growth in recent years. people are now using e-mail to stay in touch, using the internet to pay bills and so the postal service has seen big declines in money that's coming in, so they defaulted on several loans last year, they exhausted a $15 billion line of credit from the treasury and so this is all part of cost-cutting measures to try to help put them back on track. they've already closed offices, they consolidated distribution centers, they've cut hours at offices. we understand that this move could save them around a couple billion dollars a year but of course we're going to be waiting for more details in the announcement later this morning and potentially having them outline several more measures

they could be taking. one big issue that is unclear, how they're going to go about doing this. the postal service said in the past they need congressional approval to stop first class delivery on saturdays and so we don't yet know how they're going to go about this. that's something we expect to hear about at 10:00. >> in about an hour, we'll carry that press conference live by the united states postal service. athena jones reporting live from washington. nk nk. it's a critical day for the boy scouts of america. today the group could lift its ban on openly gay members and leaders, and instead allow local troops to decide whether they're welcome or not. on this deeply polarizing debate, there is some agreement, both sides hate the idea of a compromise. >> the boy scouts will now lose in part over this local option because the reason they were able to keep a ban on homosexual scoutmasters in 2000 was because

the supreme court found this was a core value of the scouts. local option is not a core value. it's a preference. >> our organization feels that discrimination at any level whether it's the national or the local level sends a harmful message to kids gay or straight and it's inconsistent with the morals of scouting somebody who went through the program as more than 12 years that's antithetical to everything i learned. >> case y wian is in texas where the national scout leaders are meeting. casey there doesn't seem to be any winners in this battle. >> reporter: the boy scouts of america put forward a proposal, telling religious leaders the proposal to have a compromise where local troops would be able to decide whether they will admit gay members and leaders is because the scouts have been losing donations from corporate sponsors who have anti-discrimination policies. also, the boy scouts of america overall membership has been

declining, down by about a third in the last 15 years or so, so they are doing this under pressure. what we're expect something a vote later this morning by the national leadership of the boy scouts of america and we're expecting an announcement one way or the other on whether they're going to continue with this exclusionary policy or offer some sort of a compromise that, as you mentioned, both sides say is not going to be sufficient, carol. >> casey wian reporting live from irving, texas, this morning. now let's head to south florida and the edge of disaster, a crash early this morning sends a bakery truck kareening through a concrete wall dangling from an i-95 overpass in ft. lauderdale. took crews 90 minutes to secure the truck and drag it back on to the road. one person inside the cab was killed. the other now being treated at an area hospital. the ex-marina ccused of killing a former navy s.e.a.l. sniper and a u.s. veteran at a

shooting range was acting crazy the night of the shooting acourting to eddie routh's sister. >> listen, my brother came here, he told me he just committed a murder. >> okay, hold on -- >> and i'm terrifiedor my life because i don't know if he's going to come back here. he said he killed two guys at a shooting range. like he's all crazy. he's [ bleep ] sipsychotic. i'm sorry for my language. i don't know if he's on drugs or not. >> police arrested r eed routh y after those charges. in an incident last year he threatened suicide after his dad said he was going to sell his gun. the search resumes this morning at an underground alabama bunker where a little boy was held hostage for six days. the fbi now looking for more bombs after already finding two

bombs in and around that bunker. rescue team breached the bunker monday pulling evan to safety. the kidnaper, jimmy lee dykes, died from several gunshot wounds and this morning ethan is at home, celebrating his sixth bir birthday and the city is working on a massive birthday celebration. victor blackwell is in midland city, alabama. we're getting a clearer picture of how far dykes went to keep authorities out of that bunker. >> reporter: that's right and we're seeing there was meticulous preparation on both sides, dykes rigged his bunker but the fbi hostage rescue team actually built a replica of the bunker we're told by sources and rehearsed the day and two days before they went in. four feet below this spot is the bunker where jimmie lee dykes held 5-year-old ethan hostage for a week. this is the pipe the fbi said

dykes told agents to communicate and we know he made that request. day after the raid bomb technicians found an explosive inside that pipe and second explosive inside the bunker. jimmy davis jr. is a neighbor, he saw the setup in its early stages. >> it was covered up with two sheets of plywood nailed together with hinges and stuff as a door to open to it. >> reporter: authorities say dykes reinforced the bunker to keep them out but they were inside, watching. sources tell cnn the hostage rescue team snuck in a tiny camera. >> mr. dykes was observed holding a gun. at this point, fbi agents fearing the child was in eminent danger entered the bunker and rescued the child. >> i heard a big boom, and then i heard, i believe i heard shells. >> reporter: what brian martin heard was a diversion.

agents rushed in, dykes shot at them but in the end he was killed, ethan was rescued. >> i never doubted my god and he answered our prayer. >> reporter: a nightly prayer vigil became a celebration of ethan's rescue and his 6th birthday. >> this is the start of it. >> reporter: april mcdaniel say local police officer and also a mother. she started a facebook campaign to collect birthday cards for ethan, thousands have responded. >> i just wish i could be there to see his face light when he sees the response and how many people really care and love him. >> reporter: after a tumultuous week ethan's home from the hospital to celebrate and heal. ethan's mother released a statement in which she thanks who she calls the most passionate people on earth and i can tell you around this community there are signs popping up wishing ethan a happy 6th birthday. some of them say "ethan, you are our hero." >> we're so glad he's hope,

thank you, victor blackwell reporting live from alabama this morning. the u.s. government is operating a top secret drone base from saudi arabia. watching from "the new york times and "the washington post" say the u.s. used the base to conduct drone attacks against u.s. citizens in other countries, most notably the strike that killed anwar al awlaki in yemen. lindh vonn headed for surgery after her crash at the alpine ski world championships. sheer to an acl, mcl and broke a bone during the opening day super g. she's done for the season but has her sights set on next year's olympics. she released a statement saying in part "i'm grateful to my fans for the outpouring of support which has really helped me stay positive. i can assure you i will work as hard as humanly possible to be

able to represent my country next year in sochi." an arkansas couple managed to win two lottery jackpots in one week. first steve weber hit it big on $1 million scratchoff and his wife then had $50,000 the next day. >> he feared a lot of lottery officials wouldn't believe him. >> my heart started going 100 miles an hour and we, you know, we kept looking back and forth, looking for something wrong. i thought we'd go into a room and get a lie detector test and have to put our hand on a bible. >> they're saving the money for retirement. he's the first iranian president to visit egypt in 30 years but mahmoud ahmadinejad is not getting a warm reception. some protesters, well, yep,

threw a shoe at him and if you're flying into atlanta, expect some delays, this was the scene early this morning. it's like pea soup out there. that's hartsfield-jackson airport. the fog so thick it kept planes from landing. meteorologist indra petersons joins us with more. >> good morning. the good news we're seeing that lift here. visibility less than a quarter of a mile. i want to get to the big story everyone is talking about, the potential for a nor easter to develop friday night in through saturday morning, all thanks to a low that could merge with a second low that could drop out of canada. first severe storms, heavy rain and wind moving up the eastern seaboard. we are talking about heavy snow, rain and wind moving into the northeast. we'll be right back.

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15 minutes past the hour. time to look at our top stories. the power outage during the super bowl came as quite a shock except maybe it wasn't. months before sunday's blackout the private electricity company that serves the superdome upgraded its network but a newly released memo written back in october shows even after the

upgrade the company was concerned about the reliability of service from its connection point at the superdome. in hawaii a humpback whale gives tourists some love. couple got bumped by a passing whale. no one was hurt. the boaters are calling it a love tap. donald trump is sue be bill maher for $5 million, that's how much the comedian said he would pay if he could prove his father was not an orange tang. the only response so far, tweets of laughter. on that note we pause and urge you in the words of the amboy dukes and come with us and find the pleasure of the journeys to the center of the mind. i give you north korea's propositipro propaganda video set to michael

jackson's "we are the world" for the united states' annihilation. ♪ kind of like an acid trip but scary. north korea's intent on developing a nuclear weapon. iran's president mahmoud ahmadinejad is not getting welcomed in egypt. he had shoes thrown at him as he left a mosque. that is a major insult in the muslim world. >> it is a pretty big insult throwing a leader at any country like mahmoud ahmadinejad. he was there an official visit. this was a big deal visit, an iranian leader has not visited

egypt in something like 30 years. look at this video, basically what happened, he's shaking hands, he's smiling and then all of a sudden a bunch of shoes get thrown at him and these guys are yelling "you killed our brothers! you killed our brothers!" basically, carol, they were mad about iran's support for syria because iran is shia and they're saying iran is funding a bunch of other shia groups in syria and killing their brethren. now, shoe throwing is becoming a little bit of a trend here carol. i don't want you to do it. president bush experienced it it in 2008, remember when the iraqi journalists took off his show. >> oh the reflexes! >> he ducked it pretty well. let me show you this other piece of video. 2003, saddam hussein's head being dragged through the streets of baghdad, the statue and all of the people whacking it in the video with their shoes. carol, if you really don't like

someone that's what you've got to do these days. you've got to pull out your shoe, okay, i'll do it, at least i have a decent shoe. i don't throw it because i respect you and like you and it's kind of expensive. >> it's a still let toe heel, could you stab with me. >> i could, exactly, careful. >> zain verjee thanks so much. oh man there's something in the water this morning. should the u.s. be able to kill american suspects being al qaeda leaders? is legal forit's our talk back of the day. that's right, the one you apply to the underarm. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied

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secular bible and its sixth amendment guarantees every american accused of a crime to a trial by jury except maybe for americans suspected of terrorism who are living abroad. justice department memo says the government has the right to kill an american citizen overseas if they're a senior operation of al qaeda and poses a "eminent threat." the white house says such killings are justified. >> this is giving the legal justification for killing american citizens without any trial. >> again i would point you to the ample judicial precedent for the idea that someone who takes up arms against the united states in a war against the united states is an enemy and therefore could be targeted acordingly. >> it's not like it's never happened. anwar al awlaki was killed by an american drone in yemen. the government says he was the terrorist behind the underwear bomber. the u.s. government didn't

bother to bring him to trial, it just killed him. >> all they have to show is a general view that somebody is doing something bad and hasn't renounced that. >> i don't really necessarily agree with maybe some of the things anwar says against the united states. does that mean they should kill him, outside of the law? >> cnn's legal analyst jeffrey toobin says strikes are a military matter and the courts give the president a wide berth when it comes to war. consider this, if we can kill suspected american terrorists overseas, could we eventually do the same in our own country on american soil? just how far are we willing to go in the fight against al qaeda? talk back question for you, should the united states be able to kill american terrorist suspects without trial? facebook.com/car facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me at @carolcnn. and i'm here to tell homeowners

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good morning, thank you so much for joining us, i'm carol costello. stories we're watching in "the newsroom" at 0 minutes past the hour. investors are looking at fourth quarter earnings from several heavy hitters. cvs caremark, yelp, time warner are also releasing results. time warner reported little change in revenue for the final three months. ringing the bell representatives of the global diversity leadership exchange. twitter led an investment firm in $80 million in stock. the company's ceo tells "the wall street journal" an ipo is "not necessarily inevitable." dick costello noted many companies rely on private financing. hello kitty, that's right, the newest monopoly token is a

cat. more than a quarter million people voted online for the new player piece and the winner was announced this morning. the cat will replace the iron. i guess people don't like to do laundry anymore. it's the first time they've let the public choose a token. we'll decide in a few hours if the national boy scouts will raise a ban on allowing gays and lesbians into the boy scouts. >> do parents really want to allow their teenaged boys to go on campouts with men who are attracted to the same sex? they wouldn't let their girls go on campouts with men who are attracted to women. >> is that right for boy scouts out wanting to learn the basic tenets of scouting to have to worry about whether or not the boy in the tent with them is attracted to them? is that right? >> i would not have put my son

in a troop with an openly gay leader or openly atheist leader. >> scouting is about teaching a substantial amount of life's lessons, sexuality is not one of them. >> joining me is psychologist catherine smirling and dale atkins. well coucome to both of you. catherine, when you hear these concerns if someone were sitting on the couch let's say what would you say to them? >> i would say it's mainly a fear of the unknown. there is a fear one experiences when they don't know what is behind the door. you have to remember the boy scouts were founded in 1910 before women were allowed to vote, during the era of teddy roosevelt when their motto be prepared and be resilient and be ready for self-sufficiency was appropriate for that time and age, and now we're in 2013,

where we have world communication and when we talk about things that we do z not talk about before and there is an openness. i don't believe that sexuality has anything to do with your ability to be a leader, your ability to instill in young boys the idea that they should be self-sufficient and responsible and good citizens. sexuality is aside from all of that and i think that we have to understand the genesis of the boy scouts, where it came from, and where we are today. >> and dale, what about the concern that a boy sleeping in a tent with another boy has to worry now that that boy might be attracted to him? >> you know, it's very interesting, and i want to just mention that i agree with what dr. smerling said. i really believe there is this when we're talking about children growing up they go through their own sexual identity search, but we are not talking about sexuality really

when we're talking about scouting, and what we're really talking about is teaching kids to be good leaders and to be ethical and to make good choices, and we are not talking about sexuality, when someone is bunking with somebody else in the tent, they are friends. they are talking about issues having to do with what happened during the day, what they're going to do the next day. friends can be of different sexual orientations. boys and girls can be friends. they can be caring partners for each other as friends. i think that there is this fear that people believe that if someone is of a different sexual orientation they are going to in some way be compromised, their own sexuality is going to be compromised and this isn't the case. >> that is a big fear that if a child is exposed to homosexuality that child might think to himself well maybe i'm gay, too. >> well in our culture, many of us do feel that we are afraid of

that which we don't know, as dr. smerling said, however the issue is more about well maybe i am gay. this is a fear that a lot of kids have. it's actually not even a fear they have, although in our society we make it a fear p it's a questioning of who i am and i think the questions really need to be discussed and really opened up with family members, and not with the scouts. children need to be able to have experiences with one another, where they are learning about being good people, responsible people, ethical people, caring, trustworthy and tolerant and i'm concerned about what the straight kids are learning about exclusion, of anybody, rather than inclusion. >> right. >> and kathryn, i want to get into this concern because i think this is important. >> um-hum. >> many conservatives, religious conservatives say they're worried these gay scout masters are more likely to molest

children than straight scout masters. i'm sure you've studied this issue, kathryn. what do you think? what is the truth? >> there is no truth to that at all, because there used to be a feeling that if you were gay, if you were homosexual that it was contagious, it was like a disease and if you are with someone who was gay, you would contract that as well. we know now it's more than likely that it's going to be the hard drive that determines whether you're gay or not and there is no way that people push being gay on other people when they're taught tolerance and inclusion and love, responsibility, all the things that the scouts stand for. this is teaching them that leaders cannot be gay or homosexual, which we know now in today's world in 2013 is absolutely not true. that sexuality has nothing to do with whether you are a prominent

leader and you have taught people good values, and you can communicate those good values. and that's what the boy scouts stand for. they need to look at their gen ris and the context of where they are today and where they were in 1910 when it was just started. >> i appreciate the passionate conversation. i have to wrap this up. we'll see what the boy scouts do later today, kathryn smerling and dale atkins thank you. >> thank you, it was wonderful. chris brown back in court, this time it's not what he did. it's what he didn't do.

♪ ♪ don't wake me up that is chris brown

performing at los year's b.e.t. awards. emblematic of a tale of two chris browns going back on a pledge he made to his fans after the beating of his on again/off again girlfriend rihanna. >> i can only ask and say that you forgive me. i hope that others learn from my mistakes. i intend to live my life so i'm truly worthy of the term role model. >> role model is hardly a term los angeles prosecutors would use for brown lately, he's facing accusations he lied about using the community services assigned to him after' salted rihanna. nischelle turner is in los angeles with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. the headline in this right now is that the d.a. is accusing chris brown of not completing his community service. prosecutors are not asking to send him to jail. what they want to do is want him to restart the 180 days' worth

of community service. the court gave him a unique deal for this probation in the first place allowing him to complete his community service in virginia under police chief brian norwood. the district attorney says chris brown was supervised by his mother and the records submitted to prove he's done the work "at best sloppy documentation, at worst fraudulent reporting." it accuses him of violating his probation getting into a fight with frank ocean at a hollywood recording studio last month and notes other incidents that made headlines where he allegedly snatched a fan's cell phone in miami and apparently threw a chair at a "good morning america" appearance. carol, it was four years ago this friday that chris brown punched rihanna inside a rent the lamborghini after she reportedly found a text message from another woman. >> what's chris brown's attorney say? >> that's interesting, too.

mark geragos' words are justs astrong. we contacted him and here's what he had to say, "apparently the district teeattorney's office h completely lost their minds, they are making scurrilous, liableous and defamatory statements and apparently have lost their ability to read their own reports." it could get interesting, 2:00 this afternoon he is expected to thereby because these are felony charges they have to answer so we will probably see chris brown in court today. >> nischelle turner reporting live from los angeles. some ask why isn't president obama doing more to boost the black economy? i'll talk to a man who is looking to the white house and beyond for answers. how could a luminous anno] protein in jellyfish, impact life expectancy in the u.s., real estate in hong kong, and the optics industry in germany?

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coming up on 45 minutes past the hour. first class mail delivery on saturday started in august. your post office could be on the chopping block. postmaster general said to make an announcement in 15 minutes at the cash-strapped postal service. we'll bring you his remarks live. protecting american diplomats overseas, that's expected to be the focus of comments this afternoon by secretary of state john kerry. kerry will speak after his ceremony swearing in. vice president joe biden will do the honors.

kerry took the official oath on friday. in money news if you think you're paying through the nose now for your smartphone data plan just wait. new report predicts monthly bills will be $40 higher by 2017 because americans are expected to use 6.2 gigabytes of data per month by that year, that's eight times more than they use today. the report by cisco also predicts connection speeds will be three times faster. it's a busy year for coast guard cutters, freezing temperatures and frigid winds are forming ice ten inches across the great lakes. fleet of nine cutters is working around the clock to keep the channeling clear. a rising tide lifts all boats, it's a phrase that say sums up the obama's administration approach to the economy, rather than targeting specific groups the president insisted that policies benefiting all americans will in turn help those who are the most

in need. but that philosophy is not sitting well with some in the african-american committee who some criticize as a lack of action. my next guest is ryan mack, president of optimum capital management and today he'll meet with one of the most vocal critics dr. cornell west to discuss the state of the economy. welcome. >> thank you for having me. >> the racial wealth gap is astounding. the census bureau shows whites have 22 times more wealth than blacks, a gap that doubled during the recession largely due to the housing crisis. many in the african-american community say that's unacceptable and the president doesn't seem to be doing much about that. >> again, i think we have to look at the whole picture here and i definitely am in line with a lot of things that dr. west says, a lot of the critics, on holding the president more accountable. we have to also hold ourselves

more accountable as well. granted back in 1984 that number was 11 times, now that number is 2 times and through 2005 to 2009, the black community lost as much as 53% of inflation adjusted median wealth compared to the white community only lost 18% so unemployment rates are traditionally doubled that of whites so there's a lot more we could be doing. president passed the lily l ledbetter act, black males are earning 85 cents on the dollar compared to women. there are a lot of things in the black community we could be doing more of, but poverty rates are -- >> let me run one today past you. if the government successfully sues s&p, that had to do with the housing crisis. why can't if the government wins its suit why can't that money, it gains from that lawsuit go to homeowners? why can't something like that be

done? >> it seems like that would be a logical approach but trying to get that through this divided congress might be a little bit difficult these days, almost putting the square peg in a round hole might be an understatement in that case and again i agree with that sentiment and always felt that sentiment but as it relates to the plaque community we can wait on our ship to come in or two learn how to swim out to the ship and the bottom line is you look at education, this economy has done a tremendous toll on low wage jobs, low skilled jobs and as blacks traditionally have technically less education than whites have. >> you're talking about swimming out of the pool but if there are no jobs available it's high for black americans, so how do you swim out of the pool? what exactly do you do? >> look there's only three things we can do, one, if your skills are not, no longer acceptable within your area you can move to another area where

your skills are acceptable, two, go back to school and increase your education and get more skills or three, you can learn how to create your own company where you can create a demand for your own and be that entrepreneur and try to capitalize off of the demand within your community. all of these things again as a financial, i'm not trying to say the president can't do more as an advocate, it's my job to push him to go further. we have to say if we continue to allow on one man barack obama to do things, there's certain things we can do ourselves. walking down our streets in the local community, rental centers, pawn shops become a new bank in the black community trying to capitalize off what we don't know. the president has nothing to do with increasing our credit score and the fact we're six times more likely to purchase a luxury car than the average white person, the president has nothing to do that even controlling for socioeconomic factors we're saving 50% less than whites are saving so these

are things, yes, push the president to do more but also turn the camera on yourself and say what can i do? if we put too much pressure on president obama, we do a lot of work with those in the city community helping create jobs no matter how much we give them unless they receive that help and help themselves, nothing we are going to do will help them in the long run. >> everyone is focusing on the president's sate of the union coming up and hoping he will mention something about the black community. thank you so much. ryan mack for joining us. president of optimum capital management. our talkback question today should the u.s. be able to kill american terrorist suspects without trial tweet me @carolcnn. i want to know exactly what i am investing in. i want to know exactly how much i'm paying. i want to use the same stuff the big guys use. find out why nine out of ten large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock.

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talkback question today should the united states be able to kill american terror suspects without trial? this from mary america is at war with terrorists an american becomes a terrorist and is involved in activities that endanger the u.s. i say take them out let's not confuse war policy with the rights of americans at home. this from mark, unless the person is actively engaged in combat or a terrorist act it's unlawful to execute him without due process. this from dave, that damned constitution just keeps getting in the way of this administration, doesn't it? this from christopher, if they are in a foreign country taking up arms haven't they renounced their citizenship? the oath they took wasn't sincere. this from christine you can't

say yes it's okay but not okay to do it here in the states if you give them the power to kill americans abroad then you are giving them the right to do what they have to here. give them an inch, they'll take a mile. facebook.com/carol cnn or tweet me @carol cnn to continue the conversation. many many ohio ance are still angry at lebron james for taking his talents to south beach. some of those fans will no longer be able to display that anger on their license plates, no more i hate you. jared greenberg coming with his report next. and real mozzarella cheese. but what makes us even prouder... is what our real dinners can do for your family. stouffer's. let's fix dinner. i need you. i feel so alone. but you're not alone. i knew you'd come.

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another big name baseball star is being linked to the same miami clinic accused of supplying performance enhancing drugs to alex rodriguez, jared greenberg of the bleacher report is here to talk about it. >> carol, the milwaukee brewers ryan braun has been accused of using peds it looks like he'll be put under the microscope again. braun's name was found in the records of the biogenesis clinic the miami clinic which supposedly distributed performance enhancing drugs to several baseball players including alex rodriguez, braun won an appeal when he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. braun says his lawyers contacted the controversial clinic to prepare his defense when he was accused of doping. the former mvp also says he has nothing to hide. he'll cooperate fully with everyone. how about this? play of the day, just over a

month in to 2013 candidate for player of the year tuesday night in denver, the harlem globetrotters are made to look less than average ballers. the circus shot earned the nuggets fans four tacos for a dollar at a local fast food chain today in the mile high city. any time the nuggets score 110 points or more, fans get to chow down courtesy of the team. last night was the 12th home game the team scored at least 110 points this season. and how is this for inspiration and motivation? win the championship we'll give you free physical relations. the association of nigerian prostitutes, we looked it up, they are unionized, they announced they will offer free sex for a week to the country's national team that wins the african cup. the eagles as the team is called plays against mali later today in the semis of the african cup.

what's not clear is if the free sex is for players or for the general population in which case you could probably expect long lines. ohio residents, you are going to have to get more creative with how you take out your anger towards lebron james, people all over the country used license plates to express political and religious views or even just offer some comedy to those stuck behind them in traffic. ohio state officials have ruled that several vanity tags are off the market. they will not be able to apply tags that are profane, ob scene or sexually explicit. for more on these stories and everything happening in the sports world we ask you to check out bleacher report.com carol, the bad news, if your mom back in ohio was looking for one of those anti-lebron plates they will be disappointed. >> i don't think my mom would put that kind of license plate thing on the back of her car.

>> i'd like to see that. >> i would, too. thanks so much, jared. the next hour of cnn newsroom starts now. snail mail emergency, no saturday delivery, no more friendly neighborhood mailman, it could happen today. late night laughs aside, fears chris christie could die in office. >> so far up to 50 years old i have been remarkably healthy. my doctor warns me my luck will run out soon. >> is it time for intervention? the site of bin laden, a zoo, ferrous wheels, just don't call it sam park. and chris rock is on capitol hill, about guns and how to stop the violence now. >> you don't need no gun control. you know what you need? we need bullet control, i think all bullets should cost $5,000. >> newsroom starts now.

good morning, thank you for joining us, i'm carol costello, we have been talking about the postal service and its cuts to saturday mail. there's a press conference right now. let's listen. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome postmaster general pat donahoe. >> good morning, everybody. good morning, thank you for joining us, today we will be making an announcement about an important change to our national delivery schedule. i think anyone that has followed the postal service over the past couple of years knows that we have been consistently advancing this idea of making change to our delivery schedule. it's an important part of our strategy for returning back to financial stability.

and we are now at a point it is absolutely mrs. to make that move. before i get into the details of the announcement, i'd like to spend a couple minutes discussing the financial reasons for this delivery schedule change. since 2008 we have seen a steady decline in the use of first class mail. it's our most profitable product. and generates the most revenue. but people pay their bills online. it's simple. it's easy. it's free. you cannot beat free. on the other hand, people do still like to receive hard copy statements and bills, correspondence, and the fact that businesses continue to send mail to the homes and that has been pretty stable over the past few years, really shows that people do value the mail that they receive. however, they do like to make their payments online. and it's put a tremendous financial pressure on the postal service. the biggest issue we face is whether we can adapt to these

changes in the marketplace. unfortunately, our business model and the laws that govern us do not provide a lot of flexibility to adapt. this results in a major imbalance between costs and revenue. this past year the postal service posted a financial loss of $15.9 billion by any measure that is unsustainable and it's unacceptable. and of the $15.9 billion loss, 11.1 billion was due to the amount that we are obligated to pay the treasury to prefund refiery health benefits. we had to default on those payments. because we did not have the funds. you know the postal service is expected to operate like a business. we generate all of our revenue from the sale of postage. we take no tax dollars. we do not want tax dollars. however, we also don't have the ability to reduce costs in a way that a private business would.

and we are at the end of our borrowing authority. to give some perspective of our liquidity situation, a typical large organization would have either cash on hand or quick borrowing ability two months worth of cash to cover their operating costs. in october one point this year, the postal service had less than four days of cash on hand. that's a very scary situation, and it is no situation that a business should be in. and this is why we have taken aggressive steps to reduce our costs. and while we have been so vocal about seeking postal reform legislation. we face some major hurdles to return to profitability in & long term financial stability. we need to generate nearly $20 billion in cost reductions and revenue increases to close the budget gap and be able to repay our debt, that's both close the gap and repay the debt. and this is why the board of governors, the postal service, has directed us to take every

necessary step to reduce costs and conserve cash necessary to continue our operations. it's what we have been doing consistently over the past couple of years. and we will be accelerating efforts moving forward. since 2006, we made tremendous strides in cost reduction. we reduced the size -- >> we will jump out of this press conference, we know what will happen. we have -- we are cnn. we find things out quickly. athena jones is in washington to tell us what the postal service is going to do, because you know as he said, you can't beat free. >> reporter: exactly. good morning, carol. you know, as they said, they will be stopping saturday delivery of first class mail on saturday. packages will still continue to be delivered. this is starting in august, august 5th, we are told, this is part of the effort to cut costs. they have already been cutting hours at post offices, closing and consolidating plants and making various changes to make

up for the shortfall. i should mention back in 2005, the u.s. postal service didn't have any debt. there was a law passed in 2006 that requires them to prefund health care benefits for retirees, they say that along with the fact that people are using email to stay in touch and using the internet to pay bills, those two things combine to put them really in a tough place, so they are having to announce these cost-cutting measures, not surprisingly postal workers are not happy about this. the american postal workers union has released a statement this morning i will read part of it. they say the usps executives cannot save the postal service by tearing it apart. the postal service should be seeking ways to expand its offerings to the american people so it can remain relevant in the digital age. that's of course refring to this idea email and technology changed the way people communicate. you know, i should mention that package delivery is still continuing. that's because it is one of the areas actually seen growth, perhaps part of that reason is because of the internet. because of people doing more shopping online. but this is certainly negative reaction we have gotten from the

postal workers union, which is not unexpected. they believe this will weaken the mail system and put it on a path to privatization. >> all right. athena jones reporting live from washington. we will keep an eye on that press conference going on. we will break into programming if he says anything that you really want to hear. athena jones, thank you. let's shift our focus to the boy scouts of america and what could be a pivotal day in its history. more than a century its core values have been challenged but unchanged. check back in a couple hours, today the group could lift its ban on openly gay members and leaders. casey wian in irving texas where the national scout leaders are meeting. good morning, casey. >> reporter: good morning. what the boy scouts of america is proposing to do is to leave the issue of whether to allow homosexuals to be scout members or scout leaders up to individual troops. and that is actually proving very controversial from both sides of this issue. those who oppose the move,

opening up to homosexuals say that it is compromising the boy scouts' core values. those who favor inclusion say it doesn't go far enough. it creates sort of like a red state blue state atmosphere, a divided atmosphere among the boy scouts, if that's what they decide to do. now just a little while ago, we spoke with a woman named brandy pride who heads a scout troop here in dallas, she says the church who sponsors her troop told her if this proposal goes through, they will pull their sponsorship and leave 40 boys without a scouting troop. here's what she had to say. >> what happens when we go camping and there's units that allow gays and homosexuals and there's units that don't? how are we going to keep them separated from those units and how are we going to instill in our kids christian values and the biblical truth, if that's

allowed in our program? >> this is about them trying to advance an agenda of promoting a specific way of understanding the world at the expense of people all over the country. >> reporter: now, the opponents of the change say that this is all about safety for the children, and not having them feeling uncomfortable, mixing with homosexuals, but we spoke just the day before yesterday with a former eagle scout, who has come out as gay, he said scouting was a refuge for him, sexuality wasn't an issue, it was a refuge from the teasing he got at school. we will see how the national leadership decides on this issue. it could happen any moment, carol. >> we will check back with you, casey wian reporting from texas. so with change of some kind widely expected within a few hours let's look ahead from two different perspectives, frank page is president of the southern baptist convention. and matthew breen and in los angeles, the editor and chief of the advocate. welcome.

>> good morning. >> thank you, carol. >> thanks for being here. i'd like to start with you, frank. the boy scouts depend on corporate sponsors. and those business leaders say they cannot be accused of supporting discrimination, they will pull their funding if the boy scouts don't change their tune. as more companies pull out, aren't you forcing the boy scouts to decide it's very survival? >> absolutely not. they have not given the churches an opportunity to step up to the plate and support more. this was all surprise to us. we were given one or two weeks notice. while the other side of this argument were given months. so that's just not even the issue. we would be glad to talk about increased support. but that was never even offered as an option. >> so in other words, if all of these businesses pull out, then religious groups and churches would make up the financial difference. >> i certainly believe they would. and could. >> and matthew, there just doesn't seem to be any compromise in this thing,

because even if the boy scouts make this decision to lift the national ban, local troops can still have that ban in place. so what difference will it really make, if the boy scouts of america make any kind of decision in favor of gay rights today? >> well, we are looking at the boy scouts as a national institution. nothing is less american than discrimination. i think a preferable policy would be for boy scouts to change policy to eliminate discrimination at all levels. and not just sort of kick it down to the troops. it would be really irresponsible for the boy scouts, i think, to teach different responsibilities and different character building skills in different troops. and for boy scouts in one troop to see discrimination is okay and for those in other troops to see that it is not okay. that disparity i don't think would solve any of the problems of the sort of inherent unfairness in the boy scouts as it exists now.

>> what would you -- what would be your reaction to frank's idea that these businesses are pulling the funding from the boy scouts, but churches would step up and put the funding into place. >> i would like to see the boy scouts end discrimination and corporate sponsorships return. there has been a drop off in recent years in both membership and corporate sponsorship for the boy scouts. and by ending discrimination, i think you would see a lot of corporations, a lot of local institutions as well, really be invigorated by the idea of american fairness and take more ownership of the boy scouts. >> and frank, a final question for you. we have heard so many former scout leaders step forward and say they served well in the boy scouts, they loved the boy scouts, but they are gay. and nothing untoward happened with these scout masters, when

they were active in the boy scouts. so why can't there be some opening of the arms, just a little tiny bit toward gay americans? >> let me just say we are thankful nothing happened in some of those instances, we can also point out where it did happen. this is about discrimination. it is about intolerance toward a private group, who holds to biblical morality, which does reveal righteousness and unrighteousness it's about a systemic attempt to hurt, to change a private organization, that holds to certain beliefs. that's what this is about. it is about discrimination and intolerance toward those who hold a biblical morality. and it's a sad day, when we, they cannot express their beliefs and hold to them without the kind of threat -- >> what about love thy neighbor. >> absolutely. we believe in loving all people. >> do you love gay people, do you love your gay neighbor? >> absolutely.

i have gay family members, carol. and i believe in loving them. but part of love is to tell people the truth f. you don't tell the truth, it's the worst form of love. >> i will leave response to you, matthew. >> sexuality and sexual orientation has never been part of the boy scouts, it's not the domain of the boy scouts, and this idea that the sky will be falling if inclusion is expanded is a red herring. it's just fear mongering. sexuality is not a part of the boy scouts' mission. >> i will have to wrap this up. we have breaking news. thank you so much for being with us. let's get right to breaking news right now, we have just learned that defense secretary leon panetta will recommend a cut in pay, a pay cut for active military. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr broke the story.

tell us more. >> reporter: carol, this is the ultimate many believe in washington budget politics, cnn has learned indeed secretary panetta is recommending what you might think of as an effective pay cut. let me give you two numbers here. this year, 2013, the pay raise for the active duty military force has been 1.7%. that's tied to complex employment calculation, to 1.7% this year panetta now will recommend only 1% pay raise for next year, 2014. several officials have confirmed this to me. they say it is due to what they call budget uncertainty in washington. this is going to put the ball squarely in congress's court as they contemplate sequestration, the budget cuts, everything we have been talking about for weeks now. will congress vote to cut effectively cut military pay while so many troops are still in combat? carol.

>> it boggles the mind. it's not like our military troops are making a whole lot of money. since congress can't get its act together -- it's unbelievable. >> reporter: i have to tell you, some people have described it to me around the pentagon this morning. this is very savvy budget politics by leon panetta, a few days before he is scheduled to step down and chuck hagel scheduled to take over. this is the ultimate, taking a sacrosanct military pay and putting it in congress's court. you don't have a budget plan, fine, we don't have the money. >> barbara starr with a cnn exclusive. thank you. talkback question today, should the u.s. be able to kill american terror suspects without trial? facebook.com/carol cnn or tweet me @carolcnn.

now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day, the question for you, should the united states be able to kill american terrorist suspects without trial? the constitution is like our secular bible and it's sixth amendment guarantees every american accused of a crime to trial by jury except maybe for americans suspected of terrorism who are live agg broad. a justice department memo says the government has the right to kill an american citizen overseas, if senior operational leader of al qaeda and poses a quote imflent threat. the white house says such killings are justified. >> this is giving the legal justification for killing american citizens without any trial. >> i would point you to the ample judicial precedent for the

idea that someone who takes up arms against the united states in a war against the united states is an enemy and therefore could be targeted accordingly. >> it's not like it never happened. it has anwar al awlaki was killed by an american drone in yemen. the government says he was a terrorist behind the underwear bomber. the government didn't bring al awlaki to trial. it just killed him. >> all they have to show is a general view that somebody is doing something bad and hasn't renounced that. >> i don't agree with some of the things which anwar said, against the united states. does that mean they should kill him? >> cnn's league allege analyst jeffrey toobin says strikes like al awlaki's killing give a wide birth when it comes to war. if we can kill suspected american terrorists overseas,

could we eventually do the very same thing on american soil? just how far are we willing to go in the fight against al qaeda? talkback question to you, should the u.s. be able to kill american terror suspects without trial? facebook.com/carol cnn or tweet me @carolcnn. when you have diabetes... your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

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♪

i like that. whether it's highbrow or lowbrow, culture is america's biggest exports. do tv episodes about honey boo boo really reflect who we are as americans? brooke baldwin takes a look at this i am america. >> sunday monday happy days. >> happy days. i love lucy, leave it to beaver, classic images of american life that became synonymous with a country. ♪ heaven, i'm in heaven >> fast forward 50 years, and what we are watching now paints a very different picture. >> mommy is going to have another baby. >> from swiss family robinson to the hunger games. and the real housewives are now more of this than this. >> beaver, you made the football team, do you think you are going to get a letter. >> reporter: don't assume you'll find a more reserved america at the bookstore.

last year's best seller, so called mommy porn, 50 shades of gray. it could be a book, show or movie that epitomizes america right now. >> sex in the city. >> american gangster. >> here comes honey boo boo. >> i can't wait to go to the pageant with glits, we will win it all. >> reporter: did america take a wrong turn after happy days? >> this golden age of tv sitcoms did not reflect the way american society really was. what it reflected to some extent is the way america thought it should be. >> reporter: what is the reality of america today? >> homeland. >> zero dark 30. >> homeland. >> it would be homeland. >> american prisoner of war had returned. >> what show time reflects is this latent paranoia that most

of us feel, having lived through september 11th. >> >> reporter: we also got the message america still equals family. >> modern family. >> modern family. >> parenthood. >> modern family. >> modern family. >> modern family. >> reporter: it may just look different these days. ♪ circle of life >> we adopted a baby. >> what happened is television has caught up to human reality. >> reporter: perhaps so. but some of us believe the real america is still to be found in a house in 1950s milwaukee. >> happy days, it was a fun time. there was a sense of community. it was an innocence about happy days. you know, happy days, happy days. >> reporter: brooke baldwin, cnn new york. >> chris rock is taking a road trip, but not in the way you might think. the comedian takes his act to congress. our political buzz panel will tell you why.

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[ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. but that doesn't mean i don't want to make money.stor. i love making money. i try to be smart with my investments. i also try to keep my costs down. what's your plan? ishares. low cost and tax efficient. find out why nine out of ten large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal.

. all right. you are not going to believe this. we have been talking for days and days that the boy scouts of america was set to make some sort of decision on whether it would lift the ban on gays in the scouts. let's head to irving, texas. some sort of decision has been made, what was it casey wian? >> reporter: well, carol, here's what happened. the boy scouts of america has just sent out a statement saying that because of the complexity of this issue allowing gays in scouting and to be scout leaders at the discretion of local troops, they say the issue is so complex, they need more time to get input from their members. so they are delaying the decision until their annual meeting in may. now, this is apparently going along with the wishes of a group of boy scouts from the state of utah, obviously very heavily dominated by the mormon church.

they had asked the national organization of the boy scouts to delay this vote. and apparently, that was one of the reasons why they decided to do it. the issue was very controversial, very complex, it seemed to the -- the proposal seemed to anger both sides of the debate. so what they have decided to do is to wait until at least may before they make a decision. carol. >> they did a congressional kick the can down the road. didn't they, casey? >> reporter: certainly did. certainly did. i don't know how the issue is going to get any different in a few months. but they are clearly not ready to make it right now. >> casey wian reporting live from irving, texas. political buzz, rapid-fire look at the best political topics of the day. three topics, 30 seconds on the clock. playing with us today jason johnson, chief political correspondent and professor of political science at ohio's

hiram college, and republican strategist. welcome to both of you, gentlemen. >> good morning. >> good morning. first question, the obama administration says it is aok to kill americans suspected of terrorism overseas. >> this is giving the legal justification for killing american citizens without any trial -- >> i would point you to the ample judicial precedent for the idea that someone who takes up arms against the united states in a war against the united states is an enemy, and therefore could be targeted accordingly. >> so first question, should the u.s. be able to kill american terror suspects without trial? jason? >> no. because they are americans. and we are supposed to have rights. we are supposed to have trials. look, mistakes happen in the battlefield, if there is a shoot outgoing on in iraq or afghanistan and people end up dying, that is one thing. this is a slippery slope, this could lead to americans in europe, this is horrible policy,

liberals and conservatives should be jumping up and down about this. >> i think this needs to be looked at carefully. if that american is actually -- it's proven he has taken up arms against our soldiers and is advocating against our country, then i don't really have a problem with it. but i think congress needs to be much more involved, they need to be treated equally, they need to be given -- they need to have more over sight powers over this program, because yes, it is a slippery slope, we need to be careful with it. >> on to question two, new jersey governor chris christie jokes about his weight. president clintonen's former doctor says she fears christie will die in office, because of his obesity. christie later addressed the problem. >> if you talk to anybody in this room that has struggled with weight, what they will tell you, that every week, every month, every year, there is a plan. and i'm making the best effort i can. and sometimes i'm successful and other times i'm not. >> let's be on e., he's not

going to be president, if he's obese, the question now, what should chris christie do about his weight. ron? >> i think this could be -- he could turn this into an advantage. if he put himself on a diet and exercise program that became inspirational to americans, that could help him run for president, as he slowly worked off the weight. and sure, there would be problems and slip ups like he is talking about. it would humanize him. i'm not talking about him making him a republican richard simmons, but it could be inspirational. >> that's a scary image in my mind. jason? >> he would need a much bigger fro. i think it's a good idea it worked for clinton, americans want to see you lose weight. we don't have problems with celebrity politicians any more. he should go on biggest loser, he should go on different programs to help people lose weight. he's about 100 pounds and a good running mate away from being republican nominee in 2016. he shouldn't waste the next three years. >> on to the third question,

chris rock on capitol hill to testify about gun control. i wonder what he'll say? >> you don't need no gun control. you know what you need? we need bullet control. we need to control the bullets. i think all bullets should cost $5,000. $5,000 for a bullet. you know why? because if a bullet cost $5,000, there would be no more innocent bystanders. >> that clip was from a rock hbo special. nothing drastic has happened since the newtown massacre. question, what do you want chris rock to say to congress? jason? >> i want him to go through a complete routine. members of congress will listen to celebrities much more than they listen to regular people. i want chris to have a complete routine, make us laugh, get his best writers together and talk about the fact we need reasonable gun control. he wants to own a gun, lots of african-americans want to own

guns, he needs to bring in the culture issue. it would be fantastic. >> ron? >> i think he needs to do that. i agree. i think he can make excellent points. but i don't know if it will have an impact. what i do think that he could do is also talk about mental health issues or as he said instead of bullet control, mind control. let's figure out ways to raise mental health awareness and understand what goes into the minds of these people that create these tragedies and see if we can prevent them. >> thanks for playing today, guys. >> thank you. >> thank you. okay. more on our breaking news this morning, the boy scouts of america has decided to delay its vote on a proposal to allow local troops to decide whether to allow openly gaye members and leaders, the organization says it needs more time to get input from its members. the vote will now be held in may. on the phone right now, james dale, he was expelled from the boy scouts for being gay.

james, what do you make of this? >> i think the boy scouts are really delaying the inevitable. they need to change. they need to do it as soon as possible. if this allows them to get their ducks in a row and do the policy right, which is ending all discrimination in every single troop, then i think it's a good thing. if this is another excuse of delaying what they should have done 23 years ago, that's a totally different story. >> you could look at it this way, so much pressure is being put on the boy scouts right now, that maybe they had made their initial decision in allowing the local troops to decide whether to lift the ban, and maybe they are stepping back and saying wow, there is so much political pressure, there is so much pressure coming from everywhere, we are going to pause. >> yeah. i think the pressure, aside from [ inaudible ] the biggest pressure they are seeing are 21% of members who walked out the door, because they said they don't want to be a part of an

organization that discriminates. that's the biggest pressure, the pressure from their own members and americans voting with their feet saying i don't tolerate discrimination in a youth organization. >> thanks for your insight. we appreciate it. again, the boy scouts of america delaying it's decision on whether to lift the ban on allowing gay members and gay scout leaders, they will make that decision now in may. we will be right back. (dog) larry,larry,larrryyy. why take exercise so seriously,when it can be fun? push-ups or sprints? what's wrong with fetch? or chase? let's do this larry! ooh, i got it, i got it! (narrator) the calorie-smart nutrition in beneful healthy weight... includes grains and real chicken, because a healthy dog is a playful dog. beneful healthy weight. find us on facebook

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siemens. answers.

just days before he is scheduled to leave office defense secretary leon panetta is recommending military pay raises be cut due to budget uncertainties tied to the upcoming sequester. the pay raises could be reduced to about 1% for military members. we are talking active military. joyce joins us on the phone, the executive director for the national military family association. her husband is retired from the army. welcome. >> thank you, carol. >> when you hear this news, what pops into your head? >> oh, carol, this is just devastating. it will be devastating to morale, military families know their needs to be -- there need to be defense cuts.

and all they have been hearing, especially in the last few months is things are going to be cut. but they thought pay was going to be off the table. that was the original word on the sequestration, to say -- to hear now that while we are still at war pay raises might be cut to a level lower than in the civilian sector is going to be very difficult for families, who are trying to manage lives, while service members are still at war, getting ready to go to war, coming home from war. thinking about other hot spots in the world where they might need to be going. >> give our viewers a sense, we have men and women risking their lives every day overseas fighting for our country, give us a sense of how much money on average these soldiers, these marines, these navy personnel

make. >> well, it varies by rank, of course. and what has happened over the course of time is that congress and the department of defense have gotten pay raises to a point where military folks on average are making what their civilian age and educational peers are making at least on paper. when you look at the long hours these folks are putting in at home sometimes to support war efforts or to support other missions, they are not being paid overtime. they are experiencing family separations. they are moving many times every two to three years, which means that military spouse is having a hard time contributing to the family income, because they are constantly looking for a new job, or starting in at the entry level all over again.

so to hear that link between average civilian pay raises, private sector pay raises and military pay raises is going to be broken, it's going to be very hard for these folks to take. >> okay. so last question for you, if you could speak directly to every member of congress, because this is happening, because of that sequestration threat. right? congress can't get its act together on the budget in this country. so if you could look into the eyes of every member in congress, what would you say? >> i would say, think about what we are asking our military families to do in support of this nation. and don't make them the first place to find cuts. support what they are doing in service to our country. >> joyce, thank you so much for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. >> you are welcome. thank you for asking about military families. >> any time, joyce. any time. all right. we have been telling about chris rock, he is just about to

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thick fog earlier this morning kept many planes from landing. and while the fog is cleared the airport is still seeing delays up to 45 minutes. iran's president got a rude welcome in egypt while shaking hands with supporters in cairo he was pelted with shoes. that is a major insult in the muslim world, egypt's public prosecutor says four men did the throwing. they were arrested and later released on bail for about 75 bucks a piece. twitter recently led an investment firm by $80 million in employee stock that doesn't mean the social networking site is going public any time soon. the company's ceo tells the wall street journal an ipo is quote, not necessarily inevitable. dick costello noted many companies rely on mostly private financing. captain james kirk is headed back into outer space. let's take a look. >> it's five year mission to

explore strange worlds, seek out new life and civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. >> it was actor william shatner who played captain kirk of the star ship enterprise, now shatner is scheduled to be beamed up via video link to the international space station. he will chat tomorrow with his fellow canadian astronaut who is up there on a five month mission. the men have tweeted one another. the call will be broadcast on the canadian space agency's web site. and we'll carry it live tomorrow. that comes your way at 10:40 eastern. all right. talkback question for you today, should the united states be able to kill american terror suspects without trial? absolutely. the real question is what would the government have done 30 years ago? this from brian. absolutely not. we're supposed to be the good guys. this from miriam. remember mccarthyism, can t

condition a slippery slope. there's a lot of fear mongering in this country, i see it as dangerous. this from david, if he talks, walks, and lives with terrorists, i'll say he is one and has paid his money and is taking his own risks. this from andrew, if they are allowed to do it to americans overseas, they will find a way to justify it on our own soil. the government needs to stop infringing our rights. keep the conversation going facebook.com/carol cnn or tweet me @carolcnn. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers.

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now, take a deep breath and pause. in the words of -- come with us and find the pleasure of the journey to the center of the mind. i give you a propaganda video set to michael jackson's we are the world. it depicts america's annihilation.

at first i didn't think it was real. but it's real. kind of scary. as you know, north korea is intent on developing a nuclear weapon. i'm no lawyer but i think it's safe to give you free legal advice if you stand before a judge, show respect, answer truthfully. and do not give him a one fingered salute. cnn's genie most shows us how one digit in court means double digits in jail. >> reporter: do not repeat. do not try this in court. >> come back again. >> reporter: 18-year-old penelope didn't just flip the judge the bird right off the bat. she built up to it. charged with possession of xanax, she and miami dade

circuit judge got off to a rocky start at this bail hearing. >> i own a lot of jewelry, all right. >> how much would you say your jewelry is worth? it's not a joke. we are not in a club now. >> reporter: it started to sound like a scene out of my cousin vinny. >> are you on drugs? >> drugs, no. i don't take drugs. >> have you had any kind of drugs in the last 24 hours? >> actually, no. >> reporter: soto had no prior arrest, so the judge set bail at $5,000. >> bye bye. >> adios. >> reporter: adios was a little too sassy. >> come back, ma'am. >> reporter: the judge upped the bail. count one will be 10,000. >> are you serious? >> i am serious. adios. >> reporter: soto flipped the bird. >> come back again. >> reporter: and the judge

flipped. >> what's up? >> i believe i heard you saying -- >> yes i did. >> i believe did you say -- did you say that? >> yes, sir. >> you did say that? i find you in direct criminal contempt. 30 days in county jail. >> that's fine. >> reporter: cnn senior legal analyst says the punishment is on the harsh side but still normal. >> she was way outside those rules. and she had to live with the consequences. >> reporter: soto's public defender had no comment. penelope soto wasn't the first defendant to let her fingers, i don't mean this finger, do the talking. at her sentencing in 2010, actress lindsay lohan's eyes may have cried but her middle fingernail cried fu, who knows if it was directed at the court or press. the judge's spokesperson said it didn't warrant a reaction. >> i'm holding you in contempt of court.

what did you say? >> reporter: just don't say. >> adios. >> reporter: genie most, cnn, new york. >> adios. thanks for joining me today. i'm carol costello. cnn news room with ashleigh banfield after a quick break. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. three words dad, e-trade financial consultants. they'll hook you up with a solid plan. wa-- wa-- wait a minute; bobby? bobby! what are you doing man? i'm speed dating! [ male announcer ] get investing advice for your family at e-trade.

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